


Trick or treat

by Aethelar



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Credence on a mission is terrified, Gen, Graves just wanted to hand out candy for halloween he didn't sign up for any of this shit, Halloween!, Modesty on a mission is terrifying, please Modesty, where is your survival instinct, your big brother is begging you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 17:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aethelar/pseuds/Aethelar
Summary: In which Modesty convinces Credence to take her trick or treating and they end up on Graves' doorstep.





	Trick or treat

**Author's Note:**

> Set pre-canon, so yes this is the original Graves, and no they've never met each other before. The concept of Graves going all-out for Halloween comes from paintingraves on tumblr and was just too fun not to play with.
> 
> Also, in case it isn't clear, I absolutely adore the Barebone children. _Adore_.

The list of things Mary Lou Barebone disapproved of was long, bullet pointed, and frequently updated. Sometimes Credence struggled to keep up. Oftentimes he struggled to see the reasoning or the logic behind the vitriolic filled entries, but he’s learnt by now that questions go nowhere painfully so he just kinda rolls with the punches and survives.

Because Credence has self preservation.

Modesty, it appears, does not.

“Halloween is forbidden,” he tries to explain again. “It’s on the list.”

“The list is stupid,” Modesty counters with all the logic and reason that Mary Lou lacks, and Credence doesn’t really have an answer for that.

“We’re going to die,” he predicts in a last ditch attempt to stave off disaster.

“Mother won’t know. Besides, it’ll be fun.” She pats his hand and smiles in a cheerily conspiratorial way that Credence suspects is also forbidden, and their fates are sealed.

Credence can almost hear the doom approaching. It’d be a catchy melody if it wasn’t so doomful.

So, Credence sneaks Modesty out of the house while Chastity covers for them both and takes her trick or treating. Modesty has a sheet thrown over her with two very neat slits cuts for the eyes (Credence already has had two heart attacks about them and squirrelled away needle and thread to fix them later) and Credence has a black jacket with the arms tied round his neck like a cape and a dribble of tomato sauce at the corner of his mouth. They make the most unconvincing ghost-vampire pair you ever saw, but it’s their first time dressing up for Halloween and Modesty, at least, is _delighted._

Credence is nervous and jumpy and determined to put on a brave face for his baby sister. The smile he manages is a touch strained, a touch dreading what will happen when Mother finds out - but even he isn’t entirely immune to the excitement of it all. Mother is a problem for future Credence.

Alternate theory is that he’s a dead man walking so he may as well enjoy his last moments on this dear earth. Credence will get back to you on that.

He takes them away from the main crowds (too many people, too loud, too much chance of being seen) and they end up at this strangely grand manor in the middle of bloody nowhere that Credence is like 73% sure is abandoned. It’s called _Graves Manor._ Who names a house after a grave. Dead people, that’s who. It’s also suitably atmospheric, draped in moonlight with shadows weaving up the walls and ivy dripping from the gates, and Modesty falls in love with it. Naturally.

“That one,” she declares, grabbing Credence by the hand and marching him towards it.

A lady on the other side of the street frowns in the direction Modesty is pointing and her eyes slide past the manor. She shakes her head and turns back to her own squabbling hoard, ignoring both the manor and Modesty as though they didn’t exist. 

Which. Hey. Fabulous. Nothing Credence wants to do more on Halloween than follow his sister up to a real life haunted house. It’s part of the experience, he’s sure. It’s even got carved pumpkins at the door. True, the fires inside flicker green which is _creepy as hell,_ but they make Modesty laugh because she knows exactly zero fear and that’s the important thing. Look, there’s even a light at one of the windows. At least Credence’ll be able to see what he’s doing when the inevitable happens and he has to fight off an army of the undead to save his sister’s life.

Chastity’s going to kill him.

He swallows and pastes on a terrified smile when they reach the door.

“Ok,” he says brightly and only a touch too high pitched. “This one. You have your sack?”

Modesty presents her pillowcase. It’s wrapped in one of Chastity’s black skirts to be suitably evil for the occasion. Should Credence worry that Modesty has such an instinct for evil flair? No. The time for worrying is past. The time to run is now, but leaving Modesty behind is non optional. Balls.

“Ok.” He braces himself and raises a fist to the knocker. “Ok. Ready.”

Modesty nods. “Trick or treat,” she whispers in anticipation and grins. The green pumpkin-light glints off her teeth for added effect. “Ready.”

Credence takes a breath, says a silent prayer, and knocks.

There is a long, drawn out pause.

“Oh no,” Credence says, failing to inject any disappointment at all into his tone. “They aren’t home, what a shame, let’s go.”

Modesty glares at the door. “Trick or treat,” she says mulishly and, being too short to reach the knocker, balls her hand into a fist and hammers at the dark wood. Where does she get her violent tendencies from. It’s not from Credence. Maybe it’s a girl thing.

The door rudely cuts across Credence’s thoughts by swinging open with a slow, drawn out creak. Beyond it stretches an endless corridor in shades of uneven gray, ethereal floating candles struggling to light up the gloom, and stepping out into the doorway with a shuffled gait is the -

Is the -

Bear with, there will be a slight intermission while Credence’s brain reboots.

Because the _thing_ that opens the door is A. a literal living shadow with glowing red eyes, B. has _glowing red eyes, _and C. are those _horns_ jesus h christ Mother was right, Credence has strayed off the path and demons are waiting to, to -

to pat Modesty on the head and give her a candy bar.

What.

Is this temptation?

The shadow turns to face him, blank red eyes tilted curiously to one side.

“Do you want one too?” the physical incarnation of sin and punishment growls at him.

It holds out an arm. The shadows dance up it in flickering black wisps to curl around the candy bar it’s offering. When it speaks, it’s mouth is just a gaping hole, glowing the same fire-red as its eyes.

“I have other kinds if you don’t like chocolate,” it hisses. “Would you prefer nougat?”

What.

“Modesty,” Credence starts, reaching blindly for his sister and refusing to take his eyes off the demon. He hasn’t blinked since the door opened. Blinking is for the weak and the dead. “Don’t be scared, Modesty.”

Modesty dances out of reach. “I’m not scared,” she denies, affronted. “He’s a nice demon, like you. What’s nougat?”

What.

“What?” the demon echoes. “Kid, he’s clearly a vampire.” It glances back at Credence, red hell-eyes creased in what might, on something with actual features instead of a formless void for a face, be worry. “At least, I think… you are a vampire, right?”

“I,” Credence says to buy himself time. “Am.” He gets distracted. Can he swing Modesty’s pillow case as a weapon? No. Not enough chocolate in it. Also, she’d never let him have it.

“Yeah, he’s definitely being a vampire,” the demon mutters dryly. “But tell me little lady, what are you tonight?”

“I’m a ghost,” Modesty tells him. “And Credence isn’t a demon _now. _He’s a demon when I need him to be a demon. What’s nougat?”

“What?” Credence asks, this time remembering that words work best out loud.

There’s a faint zipping sound and the shadow falls away to reveal a man. The eyes though, they’re still burning red, because you know _unzipping your skin_ isn’t traumatising enough, you’ve got to stare creepily into Credence’s soul as you do it. (Actually it’s because that’s a whole separate spell and it takes like an hour to set up so Graves isn’t disengaging it yet, but Credence is a bit too frazzled and a bit too unfamiliar with the wizarding world to notice that.)

“A ghost?” the man (disguised demon?) inside the shadow asks, and the voice, that’s apparently not linked to the shadow-form, so it still comes out ominously… ominous.

Look, Credence’s brain is occupied. Ominously ominous is the best he can manage.

“Kid,” the man asks with dawning horror. “Are you a no-maj?”

Beneath her sheet, Modesty frowns. “What’s a no-maj? And,” like the miniature rottweiler she is, “what’s nougat?”

“I’m not a demon,” Credence mumbles faintly.

“But you are a wizard?” the man tries.

Wizards. Pointy hats. Blue robes with stars on. Long beards. Credence has seen three children dressed up as wizards or wizard variants this evening. They look nothing like him.

This evening has rapidly spiralled out of control and he should have listened when Chastity told him it was a bad idea.

“What?”

**Author's Note:**

> idk I just love the idea of Modesty discovering her big brother turns into a giant formless void of teeth and death, and just going, "Well of course he does, I'm his favourite sister he'd do anything for me."
> 
> Fun fact: the reason Credence survived so long as an obscurial was because Modesty took his obscurus form out for frequent walks and played fetch with him in the park. Always exercise your obscurials, kids.


End file.
